2:23 pm: The trade is official, the Pelicans confirmed in a press release.
12:51 pm: The Pelicans and Pacers have agreed to a trade, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Indiana is sending the No. 23 overall pick in this year’s draft to New Orleans, along with the draft rights to 2023 second-round pick Mojave King.
In exchange, the Pelicans will trade Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick back to the Pacers. That pick, which was originally sent to Toronto with top-four protection as part of the Pascal Siakam blockbuster at the 2024 deadline, was flipped to New Orleans at the 2025 deadline in the Brandon Ingram deal.
The deal will give the Pelicans some extra ammunition in this year’s draft. New Orleans also controls the No. 7 overall pick but previously traded away its second-rounder. The Pelicans will now have an opportunity to add two of the top 23 players from the 2025 draft pool, assuming the front office hangs onto both picks.
King, who was the 47th overall pick in the 2023 draft, has played in the G League, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico in the past two years. Although he’s not considered an elite draft-and-stash prospect, the 6’5″ guard is still just 23 years old, so it’s not out of the question that he’ll sign an NBA contract at some point.
As for the Pacers, the deal accomplishing two things. For one, it will remove a cap hold of roughly $3.24MM from their books for 2025/26, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That will give the team slightly more cap flexibility as it looks to re-sign Myles Turner without going too deep into luxury-tax territory.
Additionally, as Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports tweets, the move will free up more of the Pacers’ future first-rounders for trade purposes. Previously, due to the Stepien rule that prevents teams from leaving themselves without a pick in the first round of consecutive future drafts, the Pacers wouldn’t have been able to offer more than two first-rounders unconditionally in any trade package. Now they could offer up to four (2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032).
While teams typically aren’t permitted to make trades between the in-season trade deadline and the end of their season, the Pacers can make this deal while they remain alive in the NBA Finals because it doesn’t involve any players on their 15-man roster.
Interesting
NBA allows the team plays in the Finals to make trade this time
Good move by both teams
NBA has to change the rules so no teams can make trades during the playoffs. This is bad for the game.
When the team wins the Finals, that’s when this should begin.
This trade has no impact on anyone currently on the Pacers. Why is it a big deal to have this happen 10 days earlier?
Have you no honor? No soul? People like you are why the magic is gone and ratings are down now. Hope you’re happy.
You’re trolling, right? You’ve gotta be trolling.
You are obviously not serious
Can @HoopsRumors mods please learn what “baiting” is and then apologize to me for letting it run rampant on here? Its the worst trolling of all time.
lol, you’re a maniac dude.
Myles Turner is being courted by other NBA teams and Indiana wanted to have a bit of flexibility so they can offer him more money.
If Im a Pacers fan, I would be pissed reading this. That whole building should be focused on the Finals. Even if the deal is done keep it on the back burner until the Finals are over.
Nah, there isn’t much the front office guys who made this trade to do right now. You realize the front office is comprised of dozens of employees right? They are paying people who are already working on next year months ago.
If you’re that worked up over a GM making a trade then you have bigger issues in your life that need to be adressed
Pels moving up to 3 next #bet